Vacation

James went back to work today after an almost 2 week staycation/vacation. We started his vacation off at home...with a little work! We sent the kids to James' parent's house for a night and used that "kid-free" time to put down a patio. As you have seen from past posts, our back yard is in a state of disarray! There used to be a deck off of our dining room, but the wood was starting to rot so with a little help from some family members, we tore it out. Thanks to our home's previous owners, we had all the supplies we needed to make a paver brick patio. Here are some before and after pics...

Bringing in some top soil to level out the ground


James hard at work on his first day of vacation!


The finished (well, almost...we are missing a step down) project!

After a few days at home, we headed off to Maine. We stopped for a night at my Uncle's house and from there went to separate locations. James went to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway for a fishing trip, and the kids and I traveled on to my Mom's house in northern Maine.

The bridge from New Hampshire to Maine


LOVED seeing this sign on my many long drives home from college! Never had a picture of it until now!


Ryan napping in the car

James' fishing trip was bittersweet. It was two years ago this month that James and I took off to New Hampshire, where my parents were living at the time, so that he and my Dad could go fishing in the Allagash with some of the same men that went this year. It was the first day of that trip, once they crossed the lake to get to their campsite, that my Dad fell ill and had to be air lifted to the hospital in Portland, ME where he passed away after a week of being in a coma. I know it brought back painful memories for James, but he felt that my Dad would have wanted him to go on this trip and to experience the beauty of the Allagash (a place my Dad loved so much and where he spent time with his brother and father every year since he was in his 20s). Despite the bitter memories, James did have a good time on the trip and even caught a few fish!

Uncle Mark, James and Andy waiting for a bite


James got one (actually, I believe he got five!)


Up close and personal with a Moose

Make that two Moose!

After a fun, though brief, visit with my friend Sarah and her kids, Ryan, Ella and I went on to my Mom's house. It rained the WHOLE time we were there, but we had fun visiting anyway!


Lydia, Ryan, Eliza and Ella...the best picture I could get!


Ring around the Rosy


Lydia holding Ella


MiMi and Ella


MiMi with Ryan and Ella (I snapped the picture before Ryan could tackle them!)

James still had two days off when we got back, which was a nice way to unwind after a long trip and a busy vacation! Now it's back to work...and back to real life. Sigh.

So thankful this Memorial Day...

for the girl adorning these little stars...

and for this little striped fellow...

and for the stars and stripes that represent this country and the sacrifices that were made for our freedom.

Spring...or Summer?

We have been blessed with some warm (uh, make that VERY warm) days so far this spring. I am LOVING it and I am soaking it up for as long as it lasts!! I think the kids are all for it as well!

Ella could really do without the whole grass thing. She gets quite upset when any part of her body (especially toes!) is touching it.

But...put her on a blanket and give her a big purple ball and she is a happy girl!

Unfortunately, we don't have the best looking yard right now. I posted last summer about our backyard projects...ripping out decks and such. Well--the work continues! With the help of James' brother, my nephews, and my father-in-law, two more decks have been torn out of our backyard! Yes--I said two MORE decks. When we moved in there was an above ground pool in the back and it was surrounded by 3 levels of decking. A little much! We preferred the yard space over having a pool, so we got rid of that last spring. James removed the majority of decking by himself last summer, but as you can imagine, when Ella was born in July things kind of came to a halt. I guess we were busy or something!?

The guys--hard at work.

An "after" shot

Thankfully, our town has "spring cleanup" and they will be taking all of this wood for us!

With that done, we are now a little overwhelmed with what to do next...but we have a few ideas and hope to get our yard looking a little better (anything would be an improvement at this point) by the end of the summer. I think our neighbors would appreciate a better view as well. In the meantime, the dirt/sand pits make a great place for Ryan to play with his dump trucks!

He DOES have a sandbox, but who needs it when you have the real thing?

Got teeth?

Uh--don't worry--she didn't get hurt when Ryan pushed her over with a pillow.

Please pray for this little boy

UPDATE:
As of yesterday, 4/28/09--Stellan was discharged from the hospital. He and his Mama are flying home from Boston today to finally be at home with the rest of their family. I know this little guy's fight is not over...but Praise God that he is doing well enough to go home. I really needed to read that news. Stellan's story, as well as the many other stories of suffering babies (and parents) that I have come across lately, really had me down in the dumps.



You will notice that I have placed a new button off to the right that says: "Praying for Stellan." Go ahead...click on it. This is a story that has touched my heart in so many ways. I hope you will join me (and others from all over the world!) in praying for this sweet baby boy.

8 months

Ella is 8 months old and is up to all kinds of new tricks. She has been sitting up steadily for a couple of months now, though she prefers to stand. She can't pull herself up yet, nor can she stand on her own, but she sure does like it when one of us holds her up in a standing position. She stiffens her legs if we try to put her back down and certainly protests about it when her bottom hits the floor! Her vocabulary consists of mamama and dadada, as well as a host of other gurgly, giggly sounds. She greets us with a big wave in the morning (or when she hasn't seen one of us in a little while). It's not the dainty kind of wave you would expect from a little girl, but it's SO cute! She likes to play peek-a-boo and will even hold her own hands (or burp cloth) up over her eyes (ok, it's more like over her head). She can clap her hands now and will do so when we say "Yay!". She LOVES to watch the cat(s) and thinks her brother's antics are just about the best thing going. When placed on her tummy, Ella will find a way to get what she wants, but I wouldn't exactly call it crawling yet. Close, but not quite. For now, I'm thankful I can still set her in one place and she stays there! Funny how with the second child I am SO not in a rush for her to do these things!! She really is a good baby and is happy most of the time and for that I am thankful! Just thought I would update on her "doings" and post a few pictures. Enjoy!


First taste of green beans...not so sure about this veggie stuff (notice bib: "Too cute to eat my veggies")


OK--these orange ones aren't so bad (notice them smeared on the high chair...oy!)


Ah, the laundry never ends!


Am I gorgeous, or what!?


Ryan holding Ella (still, he loves this!)


8 months old!

You know you have a little boy in the house when...

You have an alligator “growing” in your kitchen sink (a little toy alligator that grows when placed in water)

The foam letters you bought for the tub (as a way to teach him his letters) become speed boats that crash into each other and splash water all over the bathroom

You trip (several times a day) over matchbox cars spread all over the floor. Oh…and when you get yelled at because you don’t “drive” the ONE car you are allowed to play with (out of probably 100 of them) the right way

You hear from the bathroom: “Mom, come look! My poo looks like a carrot!”

Oh, how I love this kid!!